A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray: My Review

A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy)

Blurb on goodreads.com: 

A Victorian boarding school story, a Gothic mansion mystery, a gossipy romp about a clique of girlfriends, and a dark other-worldly fantasy--jumble them all together and you have this complicated and unusual first novel. 

Sixteen-year-old Gemma has had an unconventional upbringing in India, until the day she foresees her mother's death in a black, swirling vision that turns out to be true. Sent back to England, she is enrolled at Spence, a girls' academy with a mysterious burned-out East Wing. There Gemma is snubbed by powerful Felicity, beautiful Pippa, and even her own dumpy roommate Ann, until she blackmails herself and Ann into the treacherous clique. Gemma is distressed to find that she has been followed from India by Kartik, a beautiful young man who warns her to fight off the visions. Nevertheless, they continue, and one night she is led by a child-spirit to find a diary that reveals the secrets of a mystical Order. The clique soon finds a way to accompany Gemma to the other-world realms of her visions "for a bit of fun" and to taste the power they will never have as Victorian wives, but they discover that the delights of the realms are overwhelmed by a menace they cannot control. Gemma is left with the knowledge that her role as the link between worlds leaves her with a mission to seek out the "others" and rebuild the Order. A Great and Terrible Beauty is an impressive first book in what should prove to be a fascinating trilogy.

Warning: This will not be a fair review. 

Why? Because I fell in love with Libba Bray's writing before I bought her book, so I knew already it was going to be a guilty pleasure.

I happened upon Libba Bray while I was surveying quotes on goodreads.com.

Quotes like:

"But aren't many gardens beautiful because they are imperfect? ...Aren't the strange, new flowers that arise by mistake or misadventure as pleasing as the well-tended and planned?" 
— Libba Bray (The Sweet Far Thing)

and

"I do not want to pass the time. I want to grab hold of it and leave my mark upon the world." 
— Libba Bray (The Sweet Far Thing)

and

"There is a time in every life when paths are chosen, character is forged. I could have chosen a different path. But I didn’t. I failed myself." 

— Libba Bray (The Sweet Far Thing) 

 and my favorite,

"What Hamlet suffers from is a lack of zombies. Let us say Rosencrantz and Guildenstern show up—Ho-HO! Now you’ve got something that stirs the, um, something that stirs things that are stirrable. BOOM! A pack of ravenous flesh-eaters breaks open their heads and sucks out their eyeballs. No need for iambic pentameter because they are grunting, groaning annihilators of humanity with no time for meter. You’re not asleep in the back of English class anymore, are you? This is what I’m talking about. Zombies. Learn it, live it, love it." 
— Libba Bray

So when I stumbled upon A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY in T.J. Maxx's YA paperback section, I should have recognized the author right away, but I didn't. I even did my open-to-a-random-page-and-see-if-I-connect-to-the-writing thing before I bought it. I opened to a part where a maid is telling a creepy story to a couple of schoolgirls, and the writing was so compelling, I wanted to read on.

It wasn't until later that I made the connection between the Libba Bray on the cover and the quotes I'd enjoyed on goodreads. And then I moved the book up on my to-be-read pile because I couldn't wait to get more of that brilliance.

See, some people are storytellers and others are writers. Libba Bray is both, but first and foremost, she is a writer. And the way she spins words into elaborate and smooth silk is awe-inspiring. I didn't read A Great and Terrible Beauty. I drank it.  

Since I am a Christian, I am wary of books that make religion sound like whitewashed conformity, because I don't see it that way at all. Nothing whitewashed about the Bible, is there? In fact, the dark and light themes woven into every book in the Gemma Doyle series are also alive and well in Christianity. Since the author acknowledges those themes, I must deduce she doesn't mean her books to be anti-religion. It's all a part of the character's past and circumstance. For instance, most women relate to the ever-present discomfort of expectations Gemma Doyle is dealing with in a Victorian society complete with suitors with names like Bartelby Bumble and stuffy older brothers who expect you to be well-behaved at all times. I think the anti-religion overtones are necessary to the character of Gemma Doyle because she's in that discover-who-you-really-are phase of life in a very repressive circumstance, and it's natural she should rebel. It's also natural that she should compare the magic she's experiencing to the religion she's been raised with (or hasn't been raised with, in this case). So I didn't find that it detracted from the story at all, but should spur some interesting conversations between mothers and daughters who read these books together.

The suspense is delicious. I found my writer self taking mental notes about how she achieves it in some places. For instance, at the climax when they're running from danger, she has the characters call out for their friend, rather than simply stating that they couldn't find her. The cries of, "Where's Pippa?" interspersed with the action of fleeing a monster definitely amped up my heart rate. And even though the romantic interest is rarely present (or maybe because of that), the romantic suspense is delicious, as well.

FIVE STARS. I enjoyed reading A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY and look forward to the next in the series, though the resolution at the end of the book was good enough that I don't actually feel like I have to read the sequel right now. Kind of nice, actually, after the cliff-hangers of THE HUNGER GAMES trilogy. :)

Next up, THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak.

What are you reading? Does it make you think? Does it make you feel?

It's Kelly's day on Operation Awesome, so be sure to stop by and share your writerly achievements of 2010.

And don't forget to sign up for the New Year's Revisions Blog Party set for January first of 2011!

Package from Korea! (my CRITTERPALOOZA booty)

My goodies from Ellen Oh, via the Critterpalooza contest

I love contests, because contests have prizes, and it is ALWAYS fun to get something for free. :)

Ellen Oh sent me some Korean goodies and a book of my choice. (I chose MISTWOOD by Leah Cypess! Can't wait!) My son was so excited when the box came, he hardly had the patience for me to take a picture before he dove into the candy.

My almost-4yo giddy with dancing sugarplums

So since I have this great loot to remind me about Critter's cause, I'd be remiss if I didn't pass the reminder on to you, my awesome and always generous blog readers. 

Critter is being auctioned off in the next two days to the highest bidder and ONE HUNDRED PERCENT of the proceeds will go to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. That means owner Christy Evers and artist/creator Ian Sands aren't getting anything out of this, except the joy of giving. 

If you'd like to take part in the auction and possibly place the highest bid on CRITTER, whose been signed by the likes of Beth Revis of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, then do not pass GO, just skip straight over to...

THE AUCTION

Merry Christmas, everybody! I'm getting giddy myself with the visions of dancing sugarplums and family visits drawing nearer. I hope the season brings you as much joy wherever you are, and however you celebrate.

*******good vibes coming your way********

P.S. Monster big HOLIDAY 2010 SWAG BAG GIVEAWAY from The Best Damn Creative Writing Blog.

Happy Monday! (The Masochistic Joy of Taming that Story)

So happy this morning! Why? Well, there are lots of reasons.

First, I woke up this morning to find these awesome links in my blog reader (okay, a few are oldie goodies):

• Creating Compelling Characters by Amparo Ortiz
• Safe and Somewhere in Between by Kiersten White (about sex in YA)
• Sleep Brain by Lindsay Scott (aka Isabella Morgan) (about plot and characters keeping you awake)
• Across the Universe Epic Contest of Epic by Beth Revis (you still have a week to enter this awesome Christmas contest!)
• 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge by Michelle McLean (summing up the past year of reading like a mad woman)
• December's Mystery Agent contest winners were announced, in case you were absent that day. :)
• The Token Geek and Grabthar's Hammer on The Best Damn Creative Writing Blog by Yours Truly (Yes, I am specially qualified to write about geek characters, thank you for asking.)
• Ooh, this just in: CRITTER IS UP FOR AUCTION! If you don't know yet about Critter, check out my interview with his current owner, Christy Evers.

And the other reason I'm so happy this morning is that my Work-In-Progress is finally going someplace again!

Yay!

This is my top secret, high concept, epic urban fantasy story that's been kicking my butt since I started thinking about writing it. I've started it eight total times (seriously, eight drafts of first chapters in my folder). Each time, it felt off. A few times, I thought I'd finally found the MC's voice, or decided whose POV to narrate from, but something always happened that made me feel wrong about it (like an agent tweeting that dual POV was hard to do and newbie writers shouldn't attempt it, which led me to wonder if I'm still a newbie writer if I don't have an MFA). Or sometimes I'd get a wake up call from a CP or family member who'd tell me the voice changed drastically from chapter 1 to chapter 2, or that the MC wasn't likable. 

Doh!

After several false starts, I decided to tackle this one for Nanowrimo. (ahem. That didn't quite work out.) I made important progress, but eventually resigned myself to the fact that this story isn't the writes-itself kind.

It's not even the write-in-a-month kind. (I love that kind and have written two such books, so I can feel the difference.) This book is the labor-until-you-bleed kind, the hold-my-calls-and-call-a-babysitter-because-this-is-going-to-take-a-while kind. You get the idea.

Even though it would be easier to dump this story and pick up one of my other ideas that just might be a writes-itself story, I can't let this one go. There's something SO satisfying about taming a difficult story. Each conquered plot twist and revealed character quirk or strength is cause for celebration. 

So today I'm celebrating! Because I'm 91 pages into it after months of struggle, and even though it is still far from perfect (or complete), it's getting there! 

Yep. I'm taming this story, one heart-wrenching scene at a time. 

Have you ever tamed a story? Or do you find yourself gravitating toward the stories that tell themselves? Any advice for me?

Don't forget to join us for a New Year's Revisions Blog Party on January 1st. Sign up today. :)

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE EPIC CONTEST OF EPIC

I've been excited about this book ever since I happened upon the first chapter online!

And now, Razorbill/Penguin is helping author Beth Revis hold an Epic Contest of Epic just in time for Christmas.

CONTEST LINK

There will be 100 prizes, including a grand prize you don't want to lose out on if you can possibly help it. Something I love about this contest that I have not seen before is that Beth won't be announcing the winners. She's just going to ship off the prizes quietly to your address and hope you get them in time for Christmas. Sweet!

Go check out the swag and book prizes right now. Like, right now.

Happy Christmas, everybody!

And don't forget to RSVP to our NEW YEAR'S REVISIONS BLOG PARTY before January 1st. It won't be the same without you.

You're Invited: a New Year's Blog Party

Feel free to snag this button from my sidebar and spread the word!

We've all made New Year's Resolutions, but in 2011, I'm inviting you to make some 

New Year's Revisions!

Whether you did Nanowrimo or not, you've probably got something brilliant in need of a few revisions. This is a great chance to pick the brains of your fellow writers, to find out what revision tactics work for them, and what they're hoping to accomplish in 2011.

Join me, using the linky below. It's a promise to blog on January 1st about your 2011 Revision goals and insights. 

When you post, consider

• What you plan to revise
• The process you'll go through
• How long you expect it to take
• What you hope to accomplish
• What the easiest thing will be
• What the hardest thing will be
• When you'll feel done

Revision is often touted by published authors, agents, and editors alike as the most important step in getting a book published. Incredible things can happen for us in 2011 if we make revision a priority rather than an afterthought.

Everything's more fun together, right? Right! Let's do this!

When Rejection Makes Me Laugh

The obligatory picture of cute kids laughing over a symbol of the publishing industry

No, this is not one of those "You might be a writer if..." jokes.

This is much funnier than that (well, to me; courtesy laughter welcome). :)

This morning, I had a good laugh over a rejection letter.

See, I've been writing my whole life, but only seriously since about 2008, really seriously (with a critique group and deadlines) since July 2010.

In Winter 2008, I typed The End on my third book, a Nano novel that never had a beta reader or deep revision. (I've since realized it didn't really have an ending either.)

Like all newbie writers, I eagerly snail-mail queried five agents and e-submitted to one publisher, certain that one of these would like my novel idea enough to help me publish it. (Ah, sweet naivety!)

The agents all got back to me within the month with their polite no's, some more quickly than others. Really, I was spoiled and didn't know it, since in 2010, only half those agents would have responded at all. That's right, two and a half would now return my carefully crafted letter with silence. (hmm, The Half Agent... I feel a middle grade novel coming on.)

Amid my being spoiled by speedy rejection, I had a nine-pound baby. I mean, I had a whole pregnancy, potty-trained my older son, and then had the second baby. This year, at this moment, that second baby is fourteen months old. He walks, runs, and climbs on the kitchen table when I'm not looking. I've written two more books. I've run a marathon. My oldest son can write his name. My family moved to California, then moved again. I've read over fifty books. I've seen the first three Twilight movies.

This morning I opened my email and found a rejection from the 2008 publisher.

And that's how slow publishing is.

The end.

What? That didn't make you laugh? Maybe it's just me. (links to Natalie Whipple's inspiring post)

Moral of the story: Work hard. Live your life. Cast your nets, but don't wait for your miracle. Time is precious but unforgiving. Most of all, just keep swimming. 

TBR pile running dry? No? Well, check out Kelly's Best of 2010 for some middle grade goodness, anyway. You know you can't let that To-Be-Read stack dwindle below three feet!

And Krista at Mother. Write. Repeat. has an interview with the one and only Kathleen Ortiz, who is running a fabulous pre-Christmas contest, so check that out in your "spare time."

Happy Thursday, my friends. Friday is coming. I promise.

Just for funsies, what's the longest you've had to wait for a response from an agent or editor (either positive or negative)?

Mystery Agent Contest Today! Update: CLOSED! Thanks, everyone!

Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? Wooo-ooo-ooo.

Do you have a completed adult or YA novel? Our December Mystery Agent is lurking on Operation Awesome to judge a one-line pitch contest, or maybe said agent is hiding away with Lindsay's cookies. We'll never tell.

First fifty entries are valid, and after that we close the comments, so if you have something that's really shiny (as in polished; please no Nano 2010 novels), all you need is a punchy one-line summary of your novel to get our M.A.'s particular attention. Full rules and considerations are over at the official contest post, which is where you should enter with title, genre, and sentence pitch:

http://operationawesome6.blogspot.com/2010/12/mystery-agent-contest-december.html

Winner gets a full request from the judging agent. Woot! One sentence to a full request. I'd so enter this contest if I could. Good luck, everybody! I really hope you win!